Although Netflix drops films at all points during the month, there’s no better time for subscribers than the beginning of the month.
That’s when Netflix has the best movie lineup, as well as some unexpectedly well-performing original movies like the true-crime documentary Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers, which is currently charting at No. 2.
Watch With Us added that film to our roundup of Netflix’s most popular movies, so that you know the three you need to watch now.
You can find the rest of our selections below.
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‘Wonka’ (2023)
Wonka features Timothée Chalamet taking over the role made famous by Gene Wilder in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Roald Dahl‘s original novel didn’t really have an origin story, but he gets one here as the film re-imagines Willy as a naive dreamer who wants to make his name as a chocolatier.
Even at this point in his life, Willy is too talented for the Chocolate Cartel to ignore. At the behest of Arthur Slugworth (Paterson Joseph) and his corrupt Chief of Police (Keegan-Michael Key), the Chocolate Cartel attempts to destroy Willy and crush his ambitions. Willy may be outnumbered, but he’s never outmatched. And he’ll find some surprising allies who will help him bring his dreams to life.
Wonka is streaming on Netflix.
‘Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers’ (2025)
If you’ve already seen Charlize Theron‘s Oscar-winning performance in Monster, then you know the gist of the story surrounding Aileen Carol Wuornos. She was one of the few confirmed female serial killers, and she was a prostitute who murdered seven of her clients before she was finally turned in by her lover.
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Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers features Wuornos’ story in her own words through interviews that were conducted before her execution in 2002. Wuornos contends that all of the murders were in self-defense, and she even has supporters who believe that she didn’t get justice. Regardless of whether you believe her, the documentary offers a new perspective on an enigmatic figure whose actions challenged the conventional thinking that women couldn’t be serial killers. But whether anyone truly understood Wuornos’ motivations remains to be seen.
Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers is streaming on Netflix.
‘Ready Player One’ (2018)
After a long time away from the sci-fi genre, Steven Spielberg revisited his old stomping grounds in Ready Player One. This adaptation of Ernest Cline’s novel takes place in the near future, where conditions on Earth are so dire that most of the population spends a majority of their time logged into the OASIS, a life-like simulator that lets anyone indulge in their nostalgia. Whoever controls the OASIS will control the world.
That’s where Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) comes in. As his online avatar, Parzival, Wade uncovers the first clue to a contest that will determine who gets to own the OASIS. It’s a quest that Wade shares with four other players, including Samantha Cook/Art3mis (Olivia Cooke). Together, they might just save this world from itself if IOI CEO Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn) doesn’t stop them first with his endless resources and ruthless maneuvers.
Ready Player One is streaming on Netflix.